Sunday, December 16, 2012

It has been a privilege working with Bridget
Jones of CRT, as she has provided us with a great deal of insight and
advice in coordinating and in moving forward with the CGP.

Recently, Robertson
County Chamber of Commerce CEO Margot Fosnes and Mayor Bradley (I was also
invited, but regretfully could not attend because of worked related scheduling)
attending CRT’s “Farmland
Legacy Conference” – both had an opportunity to share with the conference
attendees what is going on with our CGP.

Many of you may know this already, but just as a reminder,
our “December Commission Packet” can be found here.
They are regularly posted on the Robertson
County website approximately a week before each Regular Meeting of the
Robertson County Commission.

As you know, the “commission packets” are our monthly
agendas for the Robertson County Commission “Regular Meetings.”

Saturday, December 1, 2012

How might this apply to Robertson County? Well, in my humble
opinion, this County relies too much on “state” (“Tennessee Department of
Corrections” or “TDOC”)) prisoners as well as federal prisoners to – and, I quote folks around
government - “make” money or “generate revenues.” You are reading this
correctly, there are folks in and around your
county government who believe that “the jail” (the “Robertson County Detention
Facility”) is an opportunity to increase our county revenues.

It is great to see this project being discussed in the news –
these next couple of months will be critical for the project’s moving forward. The
culmination of over two years work will likely be at a pivot point over the
next two to three months.

Cheatham County mayor David McCullough said officials
should have the study sometime next month.

He said it will first be reviewed by the industrial
development boards and Chamber of Commerce and ECD representatives in both
counties as well as himself and Robertson County mayor Howard Bradley.

If officials believe the park is financially feasible,
the goal is to get a copy of the study to county commissioners the first week
of January.

McCullough said a joint meeting will be held the second
week in January for Cheatham and Robertson officials, pending a decision to
move forward on the park. The meeting would be held in Robertson County as
Cheatham County previously hosted a similar meeting in July.

I really do not think folks grasp just what this projects
means for Robertson County, but not
just for Robertson County and Cheatham County – the entirety of Nashville and
Middle Tennessee.

Friday, November 23, 2012

Food banks throughout Robertson County are facing supply shortages as the winter months and holidays approach.

Mary Jackson, with United Ministries, said the shelves get pretty low each year between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

“This is our most dire time of year,” Jackson said. “We’re in need of non-perishable foods, canned meats, vegetables, peanut butter and cereal.”

It is a blessing to be apart of so many civic groups that contribute to these ministries, and Jillian and I try each year to participate with our church, Springfield Baptist Church. I am not saying this to tout what we do, but I am saying this as someone who believes in these ministries, and what they do for our community.

If you have an oppurtunity, follow the links that I have embedded in the "sidebar" and find out a way that you can contribute and help!

I try to keep up with our neighbors in Montgomery, Cheatham and Sumner Counties - it is always a good method to assess where we are in Robertson County. Not to mention, in Sumner County, we share municipalities.

This story has to do with the City of White House, and the Sumner County Commission's allocating funds for a library expansion project.

Raising the funds for a library in White House has already began. Mayor Mike Arnold said a bond issuance would likely be taken out for the project, which is expected to break ground in the summer of 2013. While the city’s current 4,000-square-foot library is located on the Robertson County side of White House, the proposed new 25,000-square-foot facility would be in Sumner County.

“We are estimating it would cost about $3 million,” said Elizabeth Kozlowski, director of the White House Library. “We are going to be putting it in front of city hall, because the city already owns that land.”

The excitement for residents, said Kozlowski, is the additional 21,000 square feet of space for new and expanded programs the new facility would have, which would include a second floor for meeting space.

Words that were applicable 30 years ago, 150 years ago, and 300 years ago....and, even today.

Since the Pilgrims observed the initial Thanksgiving holiday
in 1621, this
occasion has served as a singular expression of the transcending spiritual
values that played an instrumental part in the founding of our country.
One hundred and twenty years ago, in the midst of a great and terrible civil
conflict, President Lincoln formally proclaimed a national day of Thanksgiving
to remind those “insensible to the ever watchful providence of almighty God” of
this Nation’s bounty and greatness. Several days after the dedication of the
Gettysburg battlefield, the United States celebrated its first national

Thanksgiving. Every year since then, our Nation has faithfully continued this
tradition. The time has come once again to proclaim a day of thanksgiving, an
occasion for Americans to express gratitude to their God and their country.
In his remarks at Gettysburg, President Lincoln referred to ours as a Nation
“under God.” We rejoice in the fact that, while we have maintained separate
institutions of church and state over our 200 years of freedom, we have at the
same time preserved reverence for spiritual beliefs. Although we are a
pluralistic society, the giving of thanks can be a true bond of unity among our
people. We can unite in gratitude for our individual freedoms and individual
faiths. We can be united in gratitude for our Nation’s peace and prosperity when
so many in this world have neither.

As was written in the first Thanksgiving Proclamation 120 years ago, “No human
counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things.
They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God.” God has blessed America and
her people, and it is appropriate we recognize this bounty.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, RONALD REAGAN, President of the United States of America, in
the spirit of the Pilgrims, President Lincoln, and all succeeding Presidents,
do
hereby proclaim Thursday, November 24, 1983, as a National Day of Thanksgiving,
and I call upon Americans to affirm this day of thanks by their prayers and
their gratitude for the many blessings upon this land and its people.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 15th day of
September, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-three, and of
the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and eighth.

Happy Thanksgiving, to you and yours! Count your Blessings, one by one, not just today, but each and every day!

Monday, November 19, 2012

The Robertson County School Board has recently released
a timeline for the ongoing Director of Schools search.

The board decided
at the Nov. 5 school board meeting to bring in candidates to be interviewed the
third week in March, following the system’s spring break. Interviews of the
five semi-finalists will be conducted in one day, Saturday, March 23, with
plans to choose the new director by the following Monday, March 25.

Sunday, November 18, 2012

I was able to attend this event hosted by The Robertson
County Chamber of Commerce and Robertson County Schools(“RCS”). This article
was written in advance of the event.

The State of the
Schools event organized in conjunction with the Robertson County Chamber of
Commerce will be held Thursday, Nov. 15 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Springfield High
School. Topics include accountability, local school scores and their trends,
school building plans for the county and an update on the search for the next
schools director. A question-and-answer session is reportedly planned.

I appreciate RCS having a frank discussion with members of
the community with regard to the “state” of the school system.

Overall, at times, it was readily apparently that RCS was
defensive about the scores. I can certainly understand that posture with the
discussions being held in our communities. Just imagine what RCS would be like
if we could address the issues we have with the Springfield cluster….

Here is a previous
article by the Robertson County Times related to the system-wide scores.
Apparently, this article was the source for the angst expressed continuously by
RCS.

Here is an announcement/press release
regarding the upcoming Community Workshops that are coming up in December
(12/3-6). Please mark your calendars to attend. The workshops will be conducted
in Springfield, Adams, Coopertown and Cross Plains.

We hope to see you there!

Residents Are Encouraged to
Attend Community Workshops and Provide Input for the Comprehensive Growth and
Development Plan for Robertson County and the cities of Adams, Coopertown and
Cross Plains

Workshops
are in Adams, Coopertown, Cross Plains, and Springfield, December 3-6

Springfield, TN – Residents are
encouraged to attend Community Workshops to learn about theComprehensive Growth and Development Plan for
Robertson County and the cities of Adams, Coopertown and Cross Plains. The
workshops are scheduled for Monday, December 3 through Thursday, December 6.The workshops will be led by consultants with
Littlejohn Engineering Associates, Inc.

The
Comprehensive Growth and Development Plan will give officials a roadmap to
guide future growth and development, accommodate change, and maintain the
unique character of Robertson County. “Every
resident or business in Robertson County will be affected by this project in
some way,” said Jonathan Garner, chair of the project’s steering committee.
“Roads, housing, parks, schools, and even historic landmarks are under
discussion. Public input on this project is crucial to its success.”

In the event that you have not heard this by now, please
allow me to pass along that Mary Schmidt, Library Director for our
Gorham-MacBane Public Library has resigned. Here is message from the Library Board
of Trustees representative, James Marshall:

Residents are
encouraged to attend Community Workshops to learn about the Comprehensive
Growth and Development Plan for Robertson County and the cities of Adams,
Coopertown and Cross Plains. The workshops will be led by consultants with Littlejohn Engineering
Associates, Inc. The Comprehensive Growth and Development Plan will
give officials a roadmap to guide future growth and development, accommodate
change, and maintain the unique character of Robertson County.

Many of you have asked me what the Comprehensive Growth Plan
“is” and what it will mean for Robertson County since I had previously
discussed it back in October.
It is a project that cannot be easily
reduced to a sound bite or a blurb, but my quick two-second response is that it
is an “assessment of where we are, and where we would like to be.” Here is a
much more thorough explanation of what this project encompasses –

“The Robertson County Comprehensive Growth and
DevelopmentPlan
is an intergovernmental initiative of the County and the Cities of Adams, Cross
Plains and Coopertown to create a long-term vision and strategic plan for the
County’s residents. Based on a comprehensive and inclusive community outreach
process, the 2040 Vision Plan will be created for this county located north of
Nashville. Citizens in the County desire to retain the rural, farmland economy
that is unique to this region, while managing encroaching growth from the
Nashville metropolitan area and capitalizing on opportunities for economic
development. This
effort includes engaging a broad and diverse population in a variety of formats
including one-on-one interviews, community meetings, web-based
consensus-building tools and workshops. A final comprehensive plan
and strategic plan is the product of this effort.”

As you can see, this project is critical for Robertson
County.

Please take a minute to go to the Comprehensive Growth Plan
website found here (simply
go to the Robertson County Chamber of Commerce website – www.robertsonchamber.org and add “/growth”

In following posts, I will let you know how you can provide
input towards this effort. Your input is critical!

Remember over the next couple of weeks,
but especially on November 6th -

Under state law found at T.C.A. § 2-1-106, any person who is
entitled to vote in an election held in Tennessee is entitled to take a
reasonable amount of time off from work, up to three hours, in order to vote
during the time the polls are open in the county where the employee is a
resident. The employer may specify the hours during which the employee may be
absent, and the employee is required to apply for voting leave to the employer
before noon of the day before the election. The state law further provides that
the employee cannot be penalized or suffer a reduction in pay due to the
absence. There is an exception to this requirement—if the employee’s work
period begins three or more hours after the opening of the polls or ends three
or more hours before the closing of the polls, then the employer is not
required to allow any time off from work.

State law sets the minimum requirements for voting leave, but
your county may provide for more time off than is required. Check your local
personnel policies. Leave policies for all county offices are filed in the
Office of the County Clerk.

Bare with me for a moment, the initial segment to this post has to do with Dickson County….

Now, as many of you have
asked me before – why are you sharing news from other counties? Well, the
simple answer is that I have several Tennessee counties of comparable size,
close proximity and others that I keep up with just to learn what is going on
in other counties. I like to think that it assists me with what we can do here
in Robertson County so as to be the best for our citizens.

The second-annual Taste of County USA is set for June 9 in Robertson
County, bringing in thousands of people to Springfield’s downtown square ready
to sample a taste of pre-summer fun.

The event, sponsored by the Robertson County Chamber of Commerce, offers
free admission to the event spread across several city blocks. More than 50
arts and crafts and business vendors have already signed up to participate this
year.

Last week the Robertson County commission approved the
funding for treatment of the Red River to kill the larvae of the black fly, the
bloodsucking pest that has plagued residents in the northern part of the county
this year.

The resolution was brought before the commission after
many calls of complaint came to Mayor Howard Bradley from residents living
along the Red River. People on both sides of the state line reported swarms of
the flies, saying that they couldn’t go outside their homes without being
bitten. Mark Hopkins of Enscience, Inc., an expert on the fly who has been
working with local government to get rid of them, said that people have told
him of infections caused by the bites, as well as others who have been bitten
inside their ears or on their eyes by the tiny insects.

It was certainly pleasing to see commissioners from all
corners of Robertson County come together to bring much needed aid to residents
in the northern portion of Robertson County residing along and near the Red
River.

Mayor Bradley should be commended for his effort to
coordinate between Kentucky, Tennessee, Logan County and Robertson County – not an altogether easy task.